Topped with a heavenly brown sugar cream cheese frosting, these moist Carrot Cake cupcakes have just the right amount of spice, and will be perfect for any Spring or Easter celebrations!
I’m a firm believer that cream cheese frosting is the perfect companion for nearly any and all cake recipes. See for yourself when you try my Zucchini Cake, Pumpkin Cake, or even Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes!
the best CArrot Cupcakes
Carrot Cake is one of those desserts that I don’t make very often – definitely for Easter, and sometimes for random occasions. But every time I do, I remember how much I love it. Talk about a tasty way to get your daily dose of vegetables! 😉
This time around, I opted for making cupcakes instead of an entire cake. They were fun to serve, and even more fun to eat!
These delightful cupcakes are moist and delicious, with just the right amount of spice. And the consistency is the perfect happy medium between dense and fluffy. Top it all off with some homemade brown sugar frosting, and you’ve got yourself one tasty treat!
One thing to remember is that carrot cake doesn’t really taste like carrots, but they add the perfect flavor combined with all the spices in this dessert.
How to Make carrot cake cupcakes
These cupcakes are so easy to make and will be the perfect addition to your Spring and Easter celebrations. They’re also great for feeding a crowd.
BATTER. Begin by whisking together flour, soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl, and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar, eggs, and oil till thick and foamy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the sour cream, vanilla, and carrots and mix well. Add the dry ingredients and stir till just blended.
BAKE. Fill paper lined cupcake pans half full. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes. Cool completely.
Tip: Don’t overfill the cupcake liners. They should be about 2/3 full. The cupcakes do not rise too much, and that is just fine. It’s easier to frost them that way!
Want bite-sized carrot cake cupcakes? Simply follow the recipe exactly and fill the mini muffin liners (in a mini muffin tin) halfway. This will likely be about 2 Tbsp of batter for each mini cupcake. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes.
Brown Sugar Frosting
Have you ever tried making brown sugar cream cheese frosting? It literally is the icing on the cake – or cupcake for this recipe. 😉
Let me tell you, this is not your typical cream cheese frosting recipe. Brown sugar + cream cheese adds a rich depth of flavor to the frosting. It was so yummy that I was tempted to eat it by the spoonful.
MAKING. beat together cream cheese, butter, and brown sugar till smooth. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until the brown sugar dissolves completely. Add vanilla, salt, and enough powdered sugar to make a frosting thick enough to pipe.
FROSTING. To frost these cupcakes, we used a large star tip to pipe on the frosting, but you can use whatever frosting method you prefer. If you’re planning on spreading the frosting on, you can cut the recipe in half and still have more than enough.
cupcake Add-ins
ADD-INS: Some popular items to add to carrot cake include walnuts, pecans, and raisins. You can add any of those things to the batter before baking (between ½ and 1 cup of add-ins total), or add the chopped nuts to the top of the frosting!
For those of you who like pineapple in your carrot cake, try reducing your grated carrots to 1 cup and then adding in 1 cup of crushed pineapple (drained). It might produce a little bit different of a consistency because there will be more moisture.
Storing Tips
STORING: If you already put frosting on the cupcakes, they can’t sit out at room temp for long, otherwise the cream cheese in the frosting will go bad. Preferably, store them in the fridge in an airtight container.
If you are waiting to frost them, you can store the plain cupcakes at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Carrot is one of the best cakes (or cupcakes) when it comes to freezing. It will hold up really well in the freezer. It’s best to freeze them before they have been frosted, but cream cheese frosting freezes well too, so it’s not a problem if they are frosted.
Either way, simply put the cupcakes in an airtight container or heavy duty freezer bag (taking care to not smash any frosting), and store in the freezer 4-6 months.
I hope you’ll give these cupcakes a try. They might just become a new favorite after one bite!
For more great Easter DESSERTS:
For more cupcake recipes, try:
- Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes
- Cookies and Cream Cupcakes
- Peanut Butter Cupcakes
- Banana Cupcakes
- Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes
Carrot Cake Cupcake Recipe
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ + 1/8 tsp baking soda
- ½ + 1/8 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots
Frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- dash salt
- 3 cups powdered sugar (more or less, if needed)
Instructions
- Whisk together flour, soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar, eggs, and oil till thick and foamy, 1-2 minutes. Add the sour cream, vanilla, and carrots and mix well. Add the dry ingredients and stir till just blended.
- Fill paper lined cupcake pans half full. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes. Cool completely.
- For frosting, beat together cream cheese, butter, and brown sugar till smooth. Let sit for 5-10 minutes till brown sugar dissolves completely. Add vanilla, salt, and enough powdered sugar to make a frosting thick enough to pipe. Use a large star tip to frost cupcakes.
Video
Notes
I’m dying over that Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting!! Seriously, that looks like a total dream. Thanks for sharing with us, Kara! These look amazing. For more delicious recipes by her, head on over to Creations by Kara!
Love this recipe. How would you convert it to a 9×13 pan size?